Purdue 87 Alabama 78

Purdue overcame a 6 point deficit with a 13-0 run capped by the hot shooting of freshman CJ Cox who hit three straight 3’s.

Purdue led for most of the first half and then Alabama found its groove to get back into the game

Alabama’s Mark Sears helped the Crimson Tide get out to a lead in the second half with an outstanding floor game.

Purdue was boosted by an outstanding crowd. The atmosphere was unbelievable

Key Stats

Purdue shoots 49.2% from the field and 56.3 from deep

Alabama shot 9-29 from deep for 31%

Purdue only turned the ball over 3 times

Key Individual Performances

Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn was a workhorse tonight with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists

Purdue’s Braden Smith prodcued 17 points, 10 assists & 6 rebounds

Alabama’s Labaron Philon led the Tide with 18 points and adds 5 rebounds and 4 assists

What it means

Purdue is now 4-0, Alabama falls to 3-1

Both of these teams will be high seeds in the NCAA tourney

Alabama is extremely athletic and physical. They put pressure on teams on both ends of the floor.

Quotes

Purdue Head Coach Matt Painter on the play of Braden Smith “Sometimes you can struggle shooting and still play a good game and Braden played a great game.”

Alabama head coach Nate Oats on the environment in Mackey. “I loved the environment…as a fan its a great game to go to…as an opposing coach is not so much fun”

Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer on CJ Cox having a big night, “you find a way when you compete & CJ competes every day in practice.”